The Pennsylvania Game Commission is seeking input from stakeholders on the upcoming 2025-26 waterfowl hunting seasons. It’s a chance for hunters to voice their opinions and influence the final proposal that gets submitted to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

There will be an interactive session for input on the Game Commission’s YouTube channel. This question and answer period will be held on March 6 at 1 PM, so mark your calendars. It’s the first Thursday.

If you can’t hop on YouTube to give input, there will also be a Waterfowl Open House on March 8 from 10 AM to 2 PM. The Open House will be held at the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in Stevens, PA.

Hunters and other stakeholders that cannot attend either of the two sessions above can always e-mail comments to waterfowlcomments@pa.gov or send letters to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Bureau of Wildlife Management, 2001 Elmerton Avenue, Harrisburg, PA 17110-9797. The deadline for submissions is March 21.

Each year the states in the Atlantic Flyway meet with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service to establish a framework for waterfowl regulations. Every state then proposes their own seasons for migratory game bird hunting that must fall within those guidelines. The Fish and Wildlife Service then has final say in approving the state proposals.

Generally speaking, the federal framework for waterfowl hunting doesn’t usually change significantly from year to year. There are only two changes for 2025-26. Pintails must have a flat daily bag limit of 3 or less, and the maximum daily bag limit for Canada geese during the regular season has been lowered from 3 to only 1.

If you read this column regularly, you will know that I firmly believe that hunters need to voice our opinions on such matters all the time. Even if it is just to say that you agree and that everyone is doing a good job. When we stop providing our input, the powers that be are going to stop asking for it. That would be very bad indeed.

If you hunt ducks and geese in Pennsylvania, please don’t miss this opportunity to provide input to the Game Commission on the upcoming seasons. Let’s all enjoy the outdoors!